Time Travel (Loop)
by Terapsina
Summary: Written for the Swan Queen Week (Summer 2015) Day 3: Time Travel -Emma was killing the first groundhog she came across. Going through Zelena's portal once was enough. By round number four she could see how one might reach the kind of state of mind that makes one curse people's happy endings.


Disclaimer: Characters and setting not mine at all.

AN: I've been wishing that Regina was the one who went on the time travel trip with Emma since the episode aired. I also just really like time loops. So I thought I'd combine the two.

*o0O0o*  
* **Chapter 1** *  
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The first time sucked.

Well _technically_ it all ended okay. Emma didn't erase herself or Henry from reality by stopping her mom and dad's original meet-cute. So all in all it seemed to have been a success.

Except that the woman Emma saved was Maid Marian. And now Regina hated her again.

Also she was already regretting her kiss with Hook.

It's just she was in the moment, and he'd given up his ship and the adrenalin of the day - from more than thirty years ago, - was still running through her blood and… this was Neverland all over again. Why does she keep grateful-kissing him? She doesn't even like him as a person half the time.

So there she was; back to square one - both with keeping Hook's hands off of her and with the almost friendship she and Regina had been steadily building, as it burned right down to the very foundations.

So the first time was a big fat failure. The Savior saved the day but, like always, seemed to have made everything else worse.

Now if only that could have been rock bottom, but no… of course not. Because one moment she was drinking Ruby's tequila trying not to think about the tears in Regina's eyes and the next…

"Actually, I'd like to know what the pirate _is_ talking about. Are you planning to go back to New York?"

Wait!? What? Didn't Regina storm off home an hour ago with the clear intention never to speak with Emma again? And wasn't it just dark outside? And what happened to that pleasant buzz from the alcohol that Emma had just been enjoying?

Already freaking out, though this time not about Regina's suspicious question, Emma was struck speechless and frozen as Henry's other mother caught her in a frosty stare.

This couldn't be happening.

"Miss Swan?"

Regina's voice seemed to be dropping the temperature of the diner and Emma could finally feel all other eyes trained on her. The awkward silence pulled her out of the scrambling thoughts in her head and dropped her into the present moment. Did it still count as _present_ , when it wasn't _supposed_ to be taking place right now?

"Yes. Wait, no. We're not moving to New York. I'm not gonna take Henry from you Regina."

"As if you could Miss Swan. He's _my_ son." Regina bit back.

Emma flinched at the loss of 'our', though the thoughts she had been harboring, - before her adventure with time travel had caused her to realize the mistake she'd be making, - rather made her feel she deserved it.

And it seemed her 'time travel adventure' wasn't over quite yet.

"I know." Emma admitted.

Regina's face seemed to lose some of the building rage, but the suspicious stare was increasing. Emma avoided her eyes, knowing that Regina was almost as good at reading her as she was at reading Regina. And she wasn't sure if she was supposed to let her find out about Emma's latest… situation. No, Emma had learned her lesson about time travel, it's best to not interfere or change any-

…thing.

The portal at Zelena's house would be opening again soon.

Maybe she's supposed to make sure that she and Hook weren't pulled through in the first place? Her parents would meet just how they were supposed to. She and Henry would be born. Emma wouldn't be losing all common sense and kissing pirates. And Regina wouldn't run out of the diner with a broken heart and hating Emma all over again.

Everything would be just like it's supposed to be. Emma dating no one. And Regina… still dating Robin.

Her excitement waned a bit.

Okay, so she'd like to correct that last part. But she wasn't supposed to want that, not unless Emma could actually say aloud the reason the real life version of an animated fox irritated her so much. And Emma was barely ready to admit that inside her own mind let alone aloud to Regina.

And she didn't want to break Regina's heart anyway. So if erasing the adventure meant Regina would stay as happy as she seemed to be during the last few days, then that's what Emma would do.

No matter how stupid she thought Robin Hood was. She'd never been fond of his Disney movie anyway.

"What's that?" Henry's voice interrupted her before she could start cursing out all of his mom's boyfriend's bland characteristics to herself,

Instead everyone's attention - including Emma's - was drawn to the open portal shooting a tornado of golden light into the sky. And Emma had already spent longer in the diner than she did last time, so it was really already too late to follow her own footsteps anyway.

So by the time Mr. Gold showed up Emma had already settled on the new plan of action. She'd be going with Regina and her parents to investigate and play dumb, as they all tried to figure out how exactly to end Zelena's time spell without being sucked in first.

—–

It didn't work out exactly the way Emma had hoped.

She stared unhappily around her at the deep woods that surrounded her. Turns out there's no way to close the portal once it's been opened, it would close only when its function was complete. In this case the function being: sending someone back into time.

On the bright side Hook wasn't here. On the less so side, Regina was.

Not that she wasn't happy to not be stranded here in fairytale past all by her lonesome, or that she didn't think Regina wouldn't make a way better companion anyways, but even she could see how wrong this might go.

And she didn't need to wait long at all. Because Regina noticed the wanted poster with Snow White's face pinned against the tree, and like Emma did the last time, reached the same conclusion. Her face turned stark white.

They were in the Enchanted Forest and Regina was still the Evil Queen here.

Speaking of… Emma could hear the hooves of horses and the approaching carriage as it's wheels span over the cobbles that laid the path.

She had only enough time to grab Regina's hand and hide them behind the cover of one of the bigger trees.

"What do you think you're doing Miss Sw-" Regina cut off mid-word as the black riders and the royal carriage came into her view. Whatever blood had returned to her face with her shock at being manhandled, left again as she recognized her own coat of arms on the side of the carriage door.

And Emma could no more stop Regina from following her past self as her men stopped by the edges of the village, than Hook could have stopped her last time. Some things you needed to see, even when you knew what you'd be facing.

They lay on the ground, being shielded from view by the tall grass and the fact everyone's eyes were focused on one spot. Waiting.

Emma saw Regina flinch as Regina's past self stepped out in front of the frightened villagers.

Last time Emma had been amused, a bit frightened and inexplicably fascinated by the built and air of the Evil Queen. This time her heart _hurt_ as she watched Regina be faced with her past in such a cruel way.

She wished she could say something to help. Wished she could find some words that would tell Regina that the woman in front of them was no longer who she was. But everything that Emma could think of just sounded like an empty platitude.

"Listen to me _very_ carefully," the Evil Queen spoke loudly to the cowering crowd and so even Emma and Regina could hear her from the place they were hiding, but then her voice lost volume and like last time Emma could no longer hear the queen's words. In response Regina flicked her wrist and suddenly it sounded like the queen was speaking straight into their ears "-despair your pathetic little lives have been able to tolerate until this point is nothing compared to the pain and misery I can inflict if I leave here unhappy. You will help me."

The crowd stayed with their eyes on the ground not wanting to be caught in the woman's sights. At least the majority of the crowd.

"Please, You Majesty, we are a peaceful village. What do you want from us?" Emma felt Regina flinch against her as Marco brought the queen's attention to himself.

"Justice." the queen smiled, her white teeth almost gleaming and Emma couldn't help but think that she wholly reminded her of nothing as much as a vampire from some horror classic. "If I find out _anyone_ in this village has helped the bandit Snow White? They will suffer dearly. Here's what helping Snow White looks like."

Emma saw Marian being pushed forward, the bag covering her head was removed and the crowd's horror at the innocent woman's situation gave voice to the same emotion Emma saw painted across Regina's face.

"Help me!" Marian begged, and again Emma fought the impulse to run forward and save her. Instead of following her conscience's demand to interfere, Emma kept her eyes on Regina, kept her hand on the other woman's shoulder, tightening her hold as she saw Regina's fingernails digging into the flesh of her palm. "She's gonna kill me."

And will Emma let it happen? Especially now that she _knows_ that she can save the poor woman's life without altering the past. Wouldn't letting the Queen murder Marian make Emma an accessory to it? Can she really let Marian die just so Robin wouldn't break Regina's heart?

"Who wants to be next?" the Queen asked, her wolf grin as sharp as the one smiled by her future self at her most dangerous.

"Please!" Marian's plea was answered by only laughter and the guilty silence of the crowd of villagers.

Answered only by the turned away face of Regina herself. Emma could hear her trying to hold within whatever reaction she wanted to keep secret. And like stuck in a deja vu Emma watched as Regina's hand clenched around a branch laying on the ground. It snapped and the Queen's laughter cut short, her head swinging around towards their hiding place.

There was no time for thought, Emma just grabbed Regina's hand again and fled into the forest hoping that the Queen hadn't had a good enough look at them to see their faces. She didn't even want to imagine the sort of reaction being faced with her future self would enact.

—–

Emma was really bad at time travel. That's the one conclusion she'd reached thus far. Because apparently messing up the timeline was really easy, but stopping yourself from doing it twice was rather impossible.

They'd gotten away from Regina's men. Unfortunately their little escapade had caused the Queen to send her black knights into the forest en masse, and faced with those odds Snow had decided to err on the side of caution and leave her carriage robbing plans to the side.

So, yet again, Emma's parents' first meeting was put on hold.

And Regina hadn't said a word since seeing the Evil Queen. Her silence was starting to worry Emma.

"Regina-" Emma began, only to be interrupted.

"We'll need Rumpelstiltskin's help. I have no idea how to get us back to our own time and I can't exactly consult my old library to find out." Regina's voice came out strained and matter of fact. Emma could see the woman's hands still clenched in fists and if she wasn't mistaken there was already blood welling from the cuts her nails caused to the sensitive skin of ones palms.

She had no idea what to say to make Regina feel better. So she let her actions speak for themselves.

Stepping forward and not giving Regina enough time to discourage her, Emma hugged her. Wrapping her leather clad arms around Regina's shoulders, she pulled them to each other and held on. Not with any real strength, if Regina really wanted to she could escape her hold with ease, but making the other one unable to move wasn't really the point of hugs.

For a moment Regina stood frozen, her shoulders strained and her back straight, but then she leaned into Emma's arms, her head falling forward on Emma's shoulder and her face turning to the side, her mouth almost touching Emma's neck. She could feel Regina's breath sending goosebumps to Emma's skin there.

"You're not _her_ , Regina. You've changed." She didn't know if those were the right words, but they were the only ones Emma had.

"She's still in me. I'm always going to be her." her response was weak and something in Emma rebelled against that. She wouldn't let Regina believe that.

"No. You've come too far to give up now. You might always be the Evil Queen in some way, Regina. She might always be a part of you, but that doesn't mean you _are_ her. People are more complex than that, you certainly are."

Regina didn't respond. Emma would take that as a win.

For a minute longer Emma held her hands around the other woman, letting Regina draw whatever strength or comfort she could from the embrace. But eventually Regina started to move away, and with an exhalation of air Emma let her.

"Thank you." Regina whispered, avoiding Emma's eyes. But her face was more relaxed than it was moments ago so Emma just smiled and nodded.

"So, Mr. Gold huh? You sure he'll help?" Emma asked trying to sound normal, and not like she already knew that he would.

"If we play it right, Miss Swan, he should."

—–

Well… at least this time Emma manged to hold Rumpelstiltskin's thing with Belle to herself. Everything else seemed to play kinda the same. Except that this time Regina conjured their clothes instead of leading them to steal them, and that it was Regina herself who placed the illusion over their faces instead of letting Rumpelstiltskin do it.

But other than that, everything went as planned.

Her parents' falling in love was right back on track and soon enough they'd be opening the portal to go back home.

Which is, of course, when it all went to hell.

*o0O0o*

AN2: I'm gonna continue this on Day 4. But so far, what did you think?


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